Never Be Afraid To Change
by Twitz
Summary: Four years have passed and everyone is in college already, and someone is afraid of changing. Sequel of Growing Up!


**Disclaimer: I don't own Gakuen Alice! Decided to make a sequel, and well, probably another one, so please enjoy reading! ^^

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"Whoow! Has it been already four years since we talked about that, Ruka?"

Mikan was in her usual self as she talked with her guy best friend, Ruka Nogi. The gang is already in their second year in college, each struggling with their own courses.

"Yeah… Time sure flies fast… And I and Hotaru? I hope we'll still be together…" Ruka showed a sad expression on his face as he got his wallet and looked at Hotaru's picture. Her hair had already grown long that time.

"Don't worry Ruka, Hotaru's a nice girl, although not with me! But you're really lucky she's not tough on you."

Ruka and Hotaru had been keeping their long distance relationship since Hotaru decided to study overseas. Mikan was really against her leaving but in the end Hotaru still left, but promised to be back after graduation.

"Two more years and I'll see my Hotaru again!" Ruka said as he stretched his arms and drank his soda.

"Uhem! Correction! OUR Hotaru!"

They both laughed and gazed at the blue sky.

"It sure is wonderful huh? I mean it's just so blue and clear… I wonder what Hotaru's doing right now…" Ruka wondered.

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"Ms. Imai! Please concentrate on your work! This is the first time I've ever seen you lose so much concentration!" yet another scolding from Mr. Johansson.

"Darn it… Why can't I get my head in this work lately?" she said to herself while looking at Ruka's picture.

She just blushed and smiled.

"Must be because I miss him, and that idiot. Oh well, I'll just surprise her with my new and improved punching machine gun the next time I go home." with that, she continued on her project which was due in forty-five hours. That's Hotaru anyway, always busy busy busy, but the deadlines didn't scare her still.

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"She's probably working on some project again," Ruka noted as Mikan nodded to him in agreement.

Natsume, who just got out of his own classes, saw them and sat down beside Mikan.

"Hey Ruka, don't tell me your two-timing on Imai with little miss polka dots here?"

Boy he sure loved teasing Mikan. Ruka just giggled, but Mikan was furious.

"Why you little!"

She stood up from the grass and chased Natsume around. Not five minutes passed, but Natsume was already losing his breath when he dropped on the grass. He just spread his arms and closed his eyes.

"See! I told you not to use your alice too much!" Mikan blurted at him when she heard him cough and gasp for air.

"None of your business polka dots,"

"Hey, stop calling me that already, we're in college but you're still calling me that!"

"But I like polka dots, it makes me remember your polka dotted underwear, hahaha."

Mikan didn't budge anymore but just kicked his leg and lied beside him.

"You know Natsume, I still remember the things that you sad to me, remember that time? My... That was four years ago yet I still remember every word of it."

Four years ago, they were still teenagers, but now, they were already struggling with life as college students. Even if they were all busy with projects, deadlines, practicums, they still acted like children, always fighting over something so little and teasing each other a lot.

Mikan reminisced the time when Natsume told him something about growing up.

_"Listen polka dots, because I'm gonna be saying this only once... The saddest part of growing up is forgetting and leaving the things you used to love, but as time passes, they'll be eventually replaced with new ones, although you may never notice it, they're just the same with your old ones, only better..."_

"You know Natsume, you're really weird," she said to him while making shapes with her hand, using the sky as the background.

"Why?"

"Well, one minute you're mean and hot-headed, but later you become too soft like a cotton candy and well versed like a teacher! Ahh I just don't understand people now!"

"That's because I've changed, I don't understand too why you're still an idiot, and why you're still so clueless,"

"Probably because I'm afraid to change..."

Natsume was surprised to hear this. Mikan? Afraid? Where did that come from? She was a lot more braver than him all that while. He stood up and looked at her in the eyes.

"You're afraid to change? The great Mikan Sakura, Polka dot princess, is afraid?"

"Okay okay stop calling me names already! Yeah, well I am afraid, actually... I don't know why but I just don't want to change, maybe it's inevitable that I became this scared since I saw some of our friends change too much to the point that I don't seem to know them anymore..."

For the first time in years since their graduation, Mikan was sad.

"I never thought I'd be any sadder than this when we had our graduation in high school, I thought that was the last time I'd feel sad..."

When he didn't say anything, she took it as a reply to continue talking.

"I felt so sad that time... I thought I could bear the fact that I was gonna part from my friends after graduation, but in the end I cried and cried like a little baby..."

"It's... okay to cry Mikan..." he said turning his eyes away from hers.

Mikan was dumbstruck hearing this. Because, since the festival during her first year in alice, it was the only time then when she heard him call her by her real name, and, this is the first time he actually comforted her.

"I used to... cry a lot back in elementary you know."

Great, Mikan thought. Natsume just keeps on getting weirder each time they talk about serious stuff, one like this.

"Really? But I swear, I never, not once saw your eyes swollen! How'd you hide it?"

"Well, I do have that black cat mask with me all the time,"

"Oh, you have a point... This is so weird Natsume, I thought we're already adults since we're already in college... But I envy you a lot, you've already changed a lot that sometimes I can't catch up with you, I wish I could be like you Natsume."

Natsume just tapped Mikan's head and whispered something in her ear which made her eyes widen.

"Really, you think I could?"

He just smiled, and helped Mikan stand up. Natsume walked away and Mikan waved at him as if it was the last time they'd see each other. She then looked at the blue, blue sky.

"God, thanks for letting me have friends like them... Although a lot of them changed already, they're still good to me, but God, please, let me have the courage to change. I know that someday, I, Ruka, Natsume and Hotaru, and all our friends will meet up again soon, but, by that time, I hope I'll be better, so that Hotaru and Natsume wouldn't call me an idiot anymore..."

She smiled at the sky, and thought that if it could reply to her, it would've smiled as well. Mikan is still Mikan, and that's the only thing that will never change, yup, not ever.

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Thanks for reading this! Please do R&R!**


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